Xie Tianxiao looked at Xiao Yan's bewildered expression, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "You'll understand in time. Just watch for now."
"In time?" Xiao Yan scratched his head in confusion with his left hand.
Following Xie Tianxiao's gaze, Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at the ancient, black ring on his right hand, which was pressed against the colorful dew.
To his surprise, the once plain and dark ring began to emit a faint glow! Under Xiao Yan's watchful eyes, the seven-colored dew droplets seemed to be absorbed by the ring, gradually dimming in intensity.
As the colorful light weakened, the black glow from the ring grew stronger, until it finally resembled an abyss, consuming every last drop of the dew.
Watching the transformation of the ring on his right hand, Xiao Yan's eyes widened even further. What on earth was happening now?
"Still not coming out? Yao Chen," Xie Tianxiao called out softly, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the unresponsive black ring.
"Hmm? Is someone here?" Xiao Yan quickly looked around, but he didn't see anyone.
"After all, you've been siphoning off his Dou Qi for over two years. Shouldn't you at least come out and explain yourself?" Xie Tianxiao glanced at Xiao Yan as he spoke to the still unmoving black ring.
"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" A transparent, elderly figure suddenly floated out from the black, ancient ring, eyeing Xie Tianxiao warily.
"Heh, you don't need to worry about that," Xie Tianxiao replied with a chuckle. "Xiao Yan, weren't you wondering why your Dou Qi disappeared? Well, the culprit is right in front of you. Why don't you ask him?"
Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat at these words. He immediately turned his gaze to the elderly, ethereal figure and asked in confusion, "Old man, was it you who made my Dou Qi disappear!?"
"Hey, you're quite rude for a young one," the elderly figure scolded lightly before continuing, "You can call me Yao Lao. As for my background, it's best if we don't get into that right now."
"Originally, I planned to absorb your Dou Qi for another year, but thanks to the Seven-Phantom Green Spirit Essence provided by the one next to you, I've managed to recover my soul power ahead of schedule."
"As for the two years' worth of Dou Qi I took from you, I had no other choice," Yao Lao sighed as he finished speaking.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan was shocked and then filled with rage. He cursed loudly, "So it really was you, you old bastard!"
"Do you have any idea how much humiliation I've endured because you drained my Dou Qi for two years!? You old turtle!"
"You owe me my Dou Qi!"
Xiao Yan didn't know much about the background of this old man, but just the fact that he had silently siphoned off his Dou Qi for two years was enough to make him furious! If it hadn't been for this old guy, his strength might have already reached the level of a five-star or six-star Dou practitioner by now!
"Heh heh, don't get so worked up, kid. Although I took your Dou Qi and caused you to suffer ridicule for the past two years, haven't you also learned a lot about human nature and grown stronger in the process?" Yao Lao replied calmly, his thick-skinned demeanour showing no sign of being affected by Xiao Yan's fury.
Xiao Yan frowned as his emotions slowly calmed down, but he still snorted coldly, crossing his arms as he said, "I admit that you're right, but that doesn't change the fact that you absorbed my Dou Qi!"
While Yao Lao's words were true, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel resentful. After all, he had been drained of his Dou Qi without his knowledge, and it was an old man who did it—who wouldn't be upset?
"Oh, so the little one's got some temper," Yao Lao chuckled, shaking his head. "But it's just a few stages of Dou Qi."
"How about this? Kid, do you want to become strong? Do you want to be respected by others? If you take me as your master, I promise that within a year, you'll reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi again, and by the time of your coming-of-age ceremony next year, you'll be at the level of a Dou practitioner!"
After making this offer, Yao Lao's eyes glimmered with anticipation as he looked at Xiao Yan.
"Take you as my master?"
"Are you really that powerful?"
"Now that I know why my Dou Qi disappeared, with my talent, do I really still need you to become stronger?"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and replied calmly. He understood that there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world; this old man must have some ulterior motive.
"Kid, you can't think of it that way. Have you heard of the misty cloud Sect in the Jia Ma Empire?" Yao Lao asked, smiling without any hint of anger.
"I've heard of it," Xiao Yan nodded, puzzled. "But what does that have to do with you?"
The misty cloud Sect was the most powerful sect in the Jia Ma Empire, with a Sect Leader who was a genuine Dou emperor expert! This much Xiao Yan knew.
"Heh, even though the misty cloud Sect has Dou emperor experts and is one of the top sects in the Jia Ma Empire, in my eyes, it's nothing," Yao Lao sneered, showing disdain.
"You—"
Xiao Yan was momentarily speechless with anger at the old man's arrogance. He didn't know what to say, so he could only glare at Yao Lao in frustration.
"Haha, don't look at me like that. Let me tell you, with your current potential, if you continue to cultivate on your own, you'll at most reach the level of a Dou emperor and establish a sect similar to Yun Lan Sect, which is nothing more than a speck. But if you take me as your master, I'll help you surpass the Dou emperor level, explore the vastness of this continent, and teach you the supreme art of alchemy, making you a revered alchemist!"
"Tch, how do I know you're not lying?" Xiao Yan scoffed, clearly not trusting the old man's words.
"Lying to you? Do you know how many powerful experts across the continent have begged me to take them as disciples?" Yao Lao retorted, clearly irritated by Xiao Yan's disbelief.
"I don't believe you. But are you really an alchemist?" Xiao Yan's eyes brightened with excitement as he asked.
"Of course. Do you think I'm just joking around here?" Yao Lao rolled his eyes, annoyed.
"But isn't becoming an alchemist something that requires a lot of strict conditions?" Xiao Yan murmured, then suddenly seemed to realize something, raising his head abruptly, his mouth agape. "Does that mean I've met those conditions?"
"Exactly. To become an alchemist, you need to have a fire attribute and a trace of wood energy for catalysis. You happen to meet these conditions," Yao Lao confirmed with a nod.
"Whoa!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but curse in excitement. "Alright, I'll take you as my master. Teach me alchemy!"
Although he didn't fully trust the old man's claims about becoming a Dou emperor or surpassing it, being an alchemist was a different story!
After all, alchemists were extremely rare and highly respected on the Dou Qi continent.
At the very least, once he became an alchemist, he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore!
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